Page 13 of Fighting for Lucy

Out here, she had nothing to go on, no way to prepare herself.

That was what made it so scary.

How could she hope to survive when she had no idea what she had to defend herself against?

Zander was giving nothing away, and all she had to go on were theories and suspicions. Just because he had faked his death didn't mean he was working for someone like Raul Castillo. Yet the timing was so suspicious that it was hard to believe his sudden reappearance had nothing to do with the weapons dealer.

All she knew for certain was that Zander was shutting down any sort of connection to her, distancing himself. The only reason she could think of to do that was if he knew what he wasgoing to do with her, and he felt some guilt over it, so he had to stop seeing her as a real person so he could do what he planned.

Not if I can help it, ghost man.

Although to do whatshehad to do, she was going to have to stop seeing the man as one of her three best friends’ twin brother.

Because if she couldn’t, then she wouldn’t be able to take action, and that meant she was handing herself over to Zander and his plans on a silver platter.

Every time she’d called him ghost man, she’d sensed his pain, although he’d tried to hide it. A lot was going on with this man, and while she would love nothing more than to puzzle him out she didn't have the time.

Not if she wanted to live.

So, she had to do this, even if she had no idea how she was going to face Scarlett if she did make it through this ordeal and back home.

It was more than clear that her best chance at survival was getting away from Zander. He was taking her somewhere—or to someone—that wasn’t safe. That was pretty much a fact as far as she was concerned. So even though there were lots of risks going it alone in the Mexican jungle, it was absolutely the lesser of the two evils in this scenario.

For now, she just had to think one step ahead. If she tried to see the big picture, she was going to get too overwhelmed to act.

While Zander kept a hawk’s view on her as they walked and didn't let her out of his sight for so much as a second, there was no way he could stop her eyes from roaming the landscape. Nor could he stop her mind from running through possible scenarios.

Since Zander kept growing more tense, she knew they were getting closer to his destination, so time was running out for her. She had to come up with a way to escape, and since she knewZander was prepared for her to try something, she had to take him out of the equation.

That meant having to hurt him or possibly even kill him.

The very thought of harming another human being left her feeling sick to her stomach in a way that had nothing to do with the concussion.

But what other choice did she have?

Go with Zander and let him do to her what he had planned?

Not happening.

A huge part of her wanted to believe she was reading the man and the situation all wrong. That those pieces of Zander she sensed that showed his guilt, his pain, his conflicted emotions, were all true. That he had no intention of hurting her or handing her over to people who would hurt her.

If his intentions weren't nefarious, he wouldn’t be trying to hide his plans.

It was that piece of information she had to keep reminding herself of. Zander wouldn’t be so tight-lipped if he was just trying to get them to some village so they could call Prey, and get back home. There would be no need to.

Be strong, Luce. And smart.

Your life depends on it.

It’s great to see the good in people, but not if it costs you your life.

When she saw they were walking close to the edge of a rocky cliff, an idea popped into her head.

Could she pull it off?

You have to.

Steadying her nerves and fortifying her resolve, Lucy stopped walking. “I have to pee,” she announced. She didn't really, but she needed to get as close to that edge as possible for her plan to work, and she knew that having to go to the bathroom wouldallow her a little more distance from her captor than needing a break would.

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